Heartbreak for Afghanistan as SL qualify by slimmest margin
Sri Lanka 291 for 8 (Mendis 92, Naib 4-60) beat Afghanistan 289 (Nabi 65, Shahidi 59*, Rajitha 4-79) by two runs
Afghanistan received hearts and minds, but it surely was Sri Lanka who received the competition, in a sport for the ages in Lahore. The scorecard will say Sri Lanka received by two runs – and within the course of recorded their twelfth straight ODI win – however that hardly scratches the floor in a sport that might’ve gone both manner.
After their heavy loss to Bangladesh, Afghanistan knew on the toss that any chase must be accomplished in round 37 overs for them to get their NRR to qualification requirements. Adding a little bit of spice to this situation was the truth that, in the event that they succeeded in doing so, Sri Lanka’s NRR would then drop under that of each Bangladesh’s and Afghanistan’s, thus eliminating the defending champions.
As it transpired, with Sri Lanka ending on 291 for 8 – courtesy an 84-ball 92 from Kusal Mendis and a late stand between Dunith Wellalage and Maheesh Theekshana – Afghanistan wanted to achieve their goal in 37.1 overs. For a lot of the chase Sri Lanka had the sport in hand, however then Mohammad Nabi‘s 32-ball 65 lit the fuse of perception that unfold via the Afghan camp.
Nabi walked in in with 171 required off 110, and by the point he fell, the equation had dropped to 91 from 64. In between, he had pulled, swatted, lower and slapped Sri Lanka’s bowlers everywhere in the Gaddafi Stadium in an innings that included six fours and 5 sixes.
Such was the impression of Nabi’s innings that the remainder of the batters – the identical ones that had struggled to keep up a excessive strike-rate towards Bangladesh two days prior – would discover the boundaries when required to maintain up with the run-rate.
In the tip although it was left to Rashid Khan, who would strike three boundaries within the ultimate 4 balls of the thirty seventh over to depart Mujeeb Ur Rahman needing to attain three off one. Mujeeb would gap out at long-on, however that would not be that.
As the mathematics would have it, Afghanistan may have nonetheless certified in the event that they had been to get their rating as much as 295 in 37.5 overs – basically with a single six. But extremely, it appeared this wasn’t communicated to the Afghan gamers. And so, Farooqi, because the No. 11, would play out two defensive strokes, earlier than being trapped lbw whereas trying a 3rd block. Rashid on the different finish lower a forlorn determine as Sri Lanka secured an inconceivable win to complete atop Group B.
Until Nabi’s intervention although, Sri Lanka had been comfortably in management, extra so after the powerplay. Kasun Rajitha, who completed with 4 for 79, was the early enforcer with wickets of top-order batters Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran. Gulbadin Naib, pushed up the order, would briefly counter in a 16-ball 20 that included 4 boundaries, however Matheesha Pathirana would lure him lbw first ball.
A 71-run stand between Hashmatullah Shahidi and Rahmat Shah then stored the Afghans within the sport, but it surely was solely as soon as Nabi entered the fray that Sri Lanka actually started to worry. No one was secure on this interval, not on the sector nor within the stands, as Nabi discovered the gaps with ease. He would strike at 244 towards Pathirana, 160 towards Rajitha, 366 towards Shanaka and 233 towards Wellalage. Only towards Theekshana did he even barely wrestle, besides he struck at 128 towards him. It can be becoming then that Theekshana can be the one to dismiss him.
Prior to his practically match-winning hand, Nabi had performed his function in retaining Sri Lanka to a sub-300 whole in what was one other nice batting floor in Lahore. His 10 overs went wicketless however for simply 35 runs, which meant he was the one bowler to go for lower than six an over throughout each groups. This would show essential in retaining the Lankans to a chaseable goal of 292. Doing the harm with the ball had been Naib and Rashid, who would finish on figures of 4 for 60 and a pair of for 63 respectively.
In their batting innings, Sri Lanka threatened to place the sport past Afghanistan’s attain at varied factors however not all the best way. The opening stand of 63 off 62 between Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne regarded threatening till Nabi struck. He would get two extra shortly after to depart Sri Lanka on 86 for 3.
Then as soon as Mendis and Charith Asalanka placed on 102 for the fourth wicket, Rashid would strike to interrupt the stand. He would later impact a run out of Mendis – albeit quite fortuitously – after a dropped return catch from Dasun Shanaka would deflect onto the non-striker’s stumps. He would have Shanaka as properly, castling the Lankan skipper round his legs to depart Sri Lanka liable to not finishing their 50 overs.
But it was right here that Wellalage performed the knock that, in hindsight, received Sri Lanka the sport. Having entered 227 for 7 within the fortieth over, Wellalage would placed on a stand of 64 with Theekshana at a contact over run-a-ball to take Sri Lanka to their eventual successful whole. He’d make 33 in 39 whereas Theekshana contributed 28 in 24.